1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for connecting wireless electric actuating devices to a medical appliance, such as an operation microscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
During an operation (OP), a large number of medical appliances can be used. These appliances can be used directly to operate, such as a laser, or assist the treating physician during the OP, such as an operation microscope. The operation of such medical appliances by an operating physician or an assistant is frequently carried out with the foot. The reason for this is, firstly, that the operating physician and the assistant as far as possible have their hands free to operate and do not have also to use them for adjusting the medical appliances. Secondly, operating elements of medical appliances are often difficult to sterilize, so that contact with the hand entails the risk of contamination.
If, in an operating theater, a footswitch unit (FSU) or another electric actuating device is used to control a medical appliance, for example to control the stand of an operation microscope, the corresponding appliance is intended to carry out only the function which is in particular initiated by this footswitch unit or in particular by this actuating device. This can be achieved by means of a cable-bound connection between the actuating device (in the following text, actuating device is to be understood to mean any type of operating element for the medical appliance, that is to say including a footswitch unit, for example). However, a cable connection has the disadvantage that, firstly, it can be associated with a trip hazard and, secondly, mobile medical appliances can become caught in cables. The risk therefore increases the more medical appliances and associated actuating devices are used in an operating theatre.
There are therefore endeavors to replace cable-bound actuating devices by wireless actuating devices, in which the communication between the actuating device and the medical appliance is carried out without cables, for example via radio signals, infrared signals, ultrasound signals, etc. If such wireless actuating devices are used to control a medical appliance, the corresponding stand should carry out only the functions which are initiated by an actuating device which has been assigned to the medical appliance previously by executing a specific connection procedure, or so-called “pairing”. If functions were to be triggered by another actuating device located in the vicinity and belonging to another appliance, this could lead to complications.
A wireless footswitch unit for a medical treatment appliance is described in US 2007/166662 A1. In order to connect the footswitch unit, a synchronization pushbutton arranged on the footswitch unit is actuated and triggers a connection procedure to the medical appliance. During the connection procedure, identification addresses of the actuating device and of the medical appliance are exchanged.
A wireless actuating device for a medical appliance is likewise described in WO 2004/019751 A2. In this actuating device, the connection procedure is also triggered by the actuating device. As distinct from the footswitch unit in WO 2007/084668 A2, the connection procedure is not carried out via the actual wireless signal transmission path but via a second signal transmission path with a lower range, specifically provided for the connection procedure. In order to perform the connection procedure, the footswitch unit must therefore be brought close to the medical appliance since otherwise, because of the low range of the specific signal transmission path, the performance of the connection procedure would not be possible. As a result, the risk of an unintended connection to a wrong, further removed medical appliance is reduced.
As compared with this prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an advantageous connection method for connecting wireless electric actuating devices to a medical appliance via a wireless communication channel.